EXCLUSIVE I was torn apart online after yelling at cyclists for riding side-by-side on a country road... I still don't think I'm in the wrong

Daily Mail​

5 hours ago

A radio presenter who was stuck behind cyclists in a country road has revealed how one of the pair went 'mad' and began shouting ' Jeremy Clarkson ' at her repeatedly.
Chellce AJ had been driving along the track on Father's Day before she was forced to pull over because the twosome refused to ride in single file.
The furious motorist, who was 'literally shaking', spoke angrily to the camera asking whether she was 'in the wrong' following the encounter near Romiley, Manchester.
But after uploading the video to social media, a number of people replied saying the 30-year-old was technically incorrect due to a little-known Highways Code clause.
In a case that divided the nation, Chellce has now hit back at the critics and argued the rules are 'confusing' and 'conflicting'.
The presenter told MailOnline: 'I think after everything what the comments highlight is there is a lot of confusion.
'Yes, the clause says people can "ride two abreast" but the main point to take away from the code is it tells road users they should be considerate.'
In her video, Chelce had explained: 'I'm on a country lane and there's a guy cycling and someone cycling next to him so there's two of them literally in the middle of the road.'
But before she could finish her sentence, the Manchester-born presenter was interrupted by one of the cyclists who shouted 'f***ing' idiot.
Chellce later recalled to MailOnline she had finally been able to pass the cyclists after the road widened.
But this was not before a prolonged period of time where one of them 'kept looking back at her', with the presenter believing he 'went out of his way to be an obstructive person'.
As she finally passed the pair, the 'odd' individual apparently 'went crazy' and began shouting the name of the former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson 'repeatedly'.
Chellce said she then pulled over and started recording the video to vent her frustration - at which point the cyclist 'went out of his way to speed up' so he could stop by the presenter's car to voice his thoughts.
The two exchanged angry words and debated the 'rules of the road' with the cyclist accusing Chellce of acting like she 'owns the road' because she is in a 'big flashy car'.
Chellce fumed: 'It's a country road and you're cycling as a two.
'Everybody knows you cycle in single file.'
The cyclist responded saying he had been 'riding this road for years' to which Chellce said she had been 'driving this road for years'.
He then shouted: 'Sorry - I didn't realise you run the bloody roads.'
New rules introduced in January 2022 allow - and advise - cyclists to ride in the centre of lanes on quieter roads, in slower-moving traffic, and when approaching junctions, to make themselves as visible as possible.
But the code also says cyclists should be aware of people driving behind them and allow them to overtake when it is safe to do so.
Chellce said: 'I'm very unsure how it is safe being slap bang in the middle of the road - I don't understand it. It's just very odd.
'I feel quite sorry for some cyclists as they have been given a bad name - a lot of them said they would have just pulled over to the side or even stopped.
'He [the angry cyclist] was honestly just making me feel like I shouldn't be on the road and as though I had ruined their bike ride. I can't help being on the road.
'And he just kept looking back as if he wanted me to go - to this day I still don't understand what his issue was.
'It was just weird and strange if I'm very honest. He went mental. I just think he was having a bad day really.'
Chellce described the cyclist as 'aggressive' and said he looked as though he was in his mid-50s.
The 'perplexed' motorist added the 'other guy' he rode with was 'very quiet' and she had never previously had any run-ins with cyclists.
Amid the new rules which came into effect in January 2022, many motorists complained about cyclists deliberately hogging the centre of the road and causing pile-ups of traffic behind them.
Steve Bulley, the vice president of the Dorchester Chamber of Business, said a group of cyclists stayed in the centre of the road for eight miles.
He vented: 'The day cyclist took over the roads. This lots refused to let cars past for 8 miles looking back and laughing. #cycling #HighwayCode #selfish.'
On Sunday's encounter, Chellce, who was 'annoyed' she'd only recorded 60 seconds, said: 'I was just thinking, "you're a very odd guy".'